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F.A.Q.

We research as much as possible about each and every item that we acquire. We are very particular about what we sell, and want to make sure that our customers will be satisfied also. The majority of the pieces we sell are acquired directly from studios, wardrobe houses, property masters, weapons coordinators, and other crew members involved in the production of the movies.

All items we sell are from the productions, as we don't sell replicas (with only a couple of exceptions over the years). Please be aware that most productions have duplicates of all wardrobe and props. It is very rare to have only one of a certain item. As filming takes place, a prop can be broken, or a piece of wardrobe could become ripped, wet, or stained. The production can't shut down for the day, so they use the additional props and wardrobe for those purposes. Also, keep in mind that some scenes are filmed over and over for many days - so each day the actors would need clean sets of wardrobe.

Unless we notice exact matching marks or flaws on screen for a specific piece, we may not be able to state exactly where an item was used. If it was a backup prop or wardrobe and know for a fact it was not used, we will state that. In addition, many times a prop or wardrobe may have been used on screen by the actor and then again by a stunt person, and in other cases a stunt person may have their own set of matching wardrobe. Since we were not there on set, we could not state exactly who may have used a particular item or in which scene. In most cases like this the production team may not have kept records of every single piece, so it's important to pay attention to costume tags when they are provided.

Yes, ScreenUsed will supply a documented certificate with each item with the official ScreenUsed stamp and logo. This certificate has an original signature from one of the ScreenUsed owners, and the description text of the COA will be the same as seen on the description text of the item on the website. If there are multiple items sold together as a lot, there will be one COA supplied to cover all items as listed in the description. Please see a COA sample here. COAs are not supplied with promotional items such as crew shirts, crew hats, crew gifts, or other items not used in the production itself.

Timed Auctions

Our Timed auctions are held continuously on the website - usually running for a week, with some larger Timed auctions running for 2-3 weeks. These auctions end on a certain day and time, with each lot in the auction ending 1 minute apart. The auction will not allow sniping at the last second, so everyone has a fair chance to bid what they feel comfortable with. If an item receives a bid within the last 3 minutes, the end time will automatically be extended another 3 minutes. Each item displays the exact time it is scheduled to end.

Live Auctions

Our Live auctions are scheduled ahead of time at certain times of the year - check our Auction tab for Future Auctions. These auction lots are listed on the website for pre-bidding 3 weeks prior to the Live auction. This is similar to bidding in person on an auction floor, and in some cases we do hold these in person at an event such as Silicon Valley Comic Con. Once the auction is online, bidders are able to place bids on any of the items. Completion of each lot will start at a scheduled time on the final day of the auction, and the process runs manually. During this time online bidders (and sometimes in person bidders) are again able to participate in the live bidding concurrently through the ScreenUsed live bidding web interface. As each lot has its last call and once there are no more bidders, the auctioneer will drop the hammer and close the lot, moving to the next lot. The auction continues this way until all lots are closed.

Website Sales

There are many items listed on our website with a fixed price and do not involve auction bidding. These are available for adding to your cart on the website, then checking out and purchasing. Once a customer has selected an item and gone through the checkout process, the item is marked as "On Hold", and not available for anyone else to purchase. Since 99% of the items we sell are one of a kind and unique, we don't want more than one customer checking out with the same item. Once we supply shipping options and the customer has paid for their item, the status of that item is then changed to "Sold".

Our auctions do not have reserves, only starting bids - which means that if there is at least one bid on an item, it is sold. We will email invoices to all buyers within a few hours after each auction, and will ship all orders starting the next business day after full payment.

Registration and Fees

Each auction requires that you agree to the terms and conditions for the individual auction prior to bidding. There are a few details that you need to pay attention to when registering:

Buyer's Premium - In auctions, the Buyer's Premium is a percentage additional charge on the hammer price (winning bid at auction) of the lot that must be paid by the winner. It is charged by the auctioneer to cover administrative expenses. Each item in our auctions show the current bid along with the BP (Buyer's Premium).

Taxes - California sales tax shall automatically be added to the purchase price for CA residents, unless exempted. Any taxes, duties, customs, or other import fees charged by a country outside the US is the responsibility of the customer.

Shipping - Buyers will only be charged exact shipping costs - no additional packing or handling fees. After payment has been made in full, ScreenUsed will personally pack your items and will insure and ship at your expense. For oversized items, if noted in the item description, there may be additional costs for crating and other unusual shipping.

Things we DO NOT do:

ScreenUsed does NOT charge any fees for using credit cards

ScreenUsed does NOT charge any fees for using PayPal

ScreenUsed does NOT charge any additional fees for internet versus in person/phone bidding

ScreenUsed does NOT charge any fees for handling or packing

ScreenUsed does NOT pass your items on to a third party shipper

Bidding

All of our auctions provide online bidding and a few also have in person bidding at a live event. The process is slightly different for Timed versus Live auctions. For details, see the FAQ right above this one.

To place a bid, navigate to the Auction tab on the website, then select the auction you are interested in. Once registered, you can click on the Bid Now button at the top. Locate an item you are interested in, select the amount you want to bid, and click the Bid Now button. You will be presented with either a green message stating you are currently winning the item, or a red message that you have been outbid. You will also receive an email for each bid. Keep in mind that an earlier bidder may have selected a higher amount, so the system will keep bidding on their behalf automatically until it hits the maximum they bid.

Bid Increments

From

To

Increment

$0

$50

$1

$50

$100

$10

$100

$500

$25

$500

$1,000

$50

$1,000

$2,000

$100

$2,000

$5,000

$250

$5,000

$10,000

$500

$10,000

$20,000

$1,000

$20,000

$50,000

$2,500

$50,000

$100,000

$5,000

$100,000

$250,000

$10,000

$250,000

and higher

$25,000

Maximum Bids

When placing a bid on an item, you can select any of the possible bid increments. The amount you bid is kept secret, and the system will only increment your bid higher if another bidder has placed bids. Each time this happens you will receive an email. If you would like to increase your bid you can do so through the same routine. You will not outbid yourself. For example, if you are the current high bidder at $200 and you left a maximum bid of $250 and you would like to increase it to $400, just enter $400 then click the Bid Now button. You will still be current high bidder at $200 but your secret maximum bid will be updated to $400. The system will only bid in increments against another bidder in order to keep your bid ahead. It will not bid your entire secret maximum bid unless someone else bids that same amount, close to that amount, or higher.

Winning/Losing Bids

During the auction, as each bid is placed, the bidder will receive a message on the screen as well as an email detailing their status for that item.

For Timed auctions, each item will display the time remaining to bid, and once it reaches zero, the auction is over and the high bidder has won the item. The auction will not allow sniping at the last second, so everyone has a fair chance to bid what they feel comfortable with. If an item receives a bid within the last 3 minutes, the end time will automatically be extended another 3 minutes.

For Live auctions, the process will be similar to the above for the weeks leading up to the live auction date. However, instead of each item ending when the countdown reaches zero, that is when the live auction takes place. The live auction will be run online (and sometimes in person also) by an auctioneer. When the live auction starts, the auctioneer will open each lot one by one, ask for bids, then drop the hammer and close each lot, moving on to the next. There will be a defined start time, and the live auction will go as long as needed until the last lot is closed. If you are not able to attend the live auction, or you don't want to take a chance of network or computer problems, you can input a secret maximum bid on any of the items prior to the live auction. The auction system will automatically take your bids into account during the live auction.

For example:

You place a secret maximum bid of $1000 on an item, and the starting bid is $500.

You will be the high bidder at $500, unless someone else bids higher.

Before the live auction starts, someone else bids $600.

The system will apply your secret bids and you will still be the high bidder at $650. (Note that the bid increment is $50 once the price reaches $500.)

When the live auction comes to that item, someone else bids $1000.

Since it is the same amount as your secret bid, you are still the high bidder because you bid that amount first.

Someone else now bids $1500.

They will become the high bidder at $1100, you are now losing the item. (Note that the new bid increment is $100 once the price reaches $1000.)

If there are no more bids, the new bidder wins the item at $1100 plus buyer's premium.

Post Auction

Within a few hours after the auction has completed, your items will be put together in an online invoice on the ScreenUsed website. You will receive an email with a list of the items you won, along with a subtotal, and shipping options to select. Full payment is due within 7 days after the auction unless you request a payment plan. For payment plans, just reply back to the email sent to you with your order information and we'll discuss the installment plan with you over email and get you setup. Just follow these steps to select shipping and make your payment:

Go to our website and click on the "Log In" button at the top right of the page. (it looks like a little person)

Input your email address and password.

Once logged in, click on your name at the top right of the screen and select "My Orders".

A list of your orders will display, click the View icon for the correct order.

If you used PayPal or credit card, the payment will be processed in real-time and the system will return to your order and display that the payment was successful. If there is any error, please email us and we can assist you.

You will then receive an email with a shipping date - usually the next business day. Once shipped, you will receive another email with tracking information.

Don't want to wait around for that special lot? Well, you may miss out on other awesome deals if you don't watch along with everyone, but there is a feature on our website for you. You can receive a text message 15 lots before specific items you want to bid on (in live auctions only, not timed auctions). Here is how to set it up. Once you are logged in to our website, click on your name at the top right of the screen and select "My Profile". Once the profile screen is up, input your mobile phone number in the field labeled "Mobile Text Number".

The number must be in the correct format in order to work (we will add a test button here in the future). For example, to use a US phone number like 415 555 2671, you need to add the '+' prefix and the country code (which is 1) in front of the number so it will look like +14155552671. In the UK, and many other countries internationally, local dialing requires the addition of a '0' in front of the subscriber number. However, to use correct text message formatting, this '0' must be removed. A number such as 020 7183 8750 in the UK would be formatted as +442071838750. A good reference to find a country's calling code is this Wikipedia page that lists countries and their calling codes.

Now that you have your mobile number in place, just select the small heart icon on the items you are interested in, and they will be placed in your Watch List. Once in your Watch List, you will see a small phone icon on these items. Just click on the phone icon to receive a text message for this item 15 lots before bidding opens on it.

For all sales, during your order checkout, you can select various payment plans depending on the total of the order. This is provided as a service without any interest or other charges. It is not an automatic recurring charge on your credit card or PayPal account. Our website will send a reminder email within 7 days of each monthly payment, and at that time you can login on our website and submit your payment. However, you can submit payments at any time, in any amount, early if you would like. After all payments are complete, your item is shipped to you. Any cancellation of a purchase based on a payment plan must be approved by ScreenUsed, and will result in store credit only, excluding the value of the non-refundable deposit - no cash refunds.

Below are the various installment options based on the total value of the order:

Under $750 - 50% non-refundable deposit and a payment in 1 month

$750 and higher - 25% non-refundable deposit and 3 monthly payments

$3,000 and higher - 25% non-refundable deposit and 6 monthly payments

$5,000 and higher - 25% non-refundable deposit and 9 monthly payments

NOTE: For auction sales, please email us if you would like a payment plan added to your order.

We ship worldwide and exclusively use FedEx because of the ability to track items from door to door, along with our very successful experience with them. We insure all items through FedEx. If preferred, we can ship items via the US Postal Service, however since the postal services in other countries do not have a good tracking process from door to door, we can't take responsibility for lost items that are shipped outside the US in this manner. We highly recommend using FedEx. Any taxes, duties, or other import fees charged by a country outside the US is the responsibility of the customer.

With the value of items we sell, we feel it is important to discuss each item before closing a sale. We would like to answer any questions, discuss shipping options, payment options, and generally make sure that you have all the information you need to make an educated investment.

For this reason, after you select items for your shopping list, you are required to input your contact and shipping information. This gives us the information to provide a proper set of shipping options in a response email, including the ability to group multiple items together. There is a comments field for any questions you may have as well. This will go into our private database, and we will return an email (or call if you prefer) as soon as possible. During the resulting communications, we will assist in getting your valuable items to you right away.

Each shopping list is date and time stamped, so if there are multiple people interested in the same item, the requests will be handled on a first come first served basis.

The following is the ScreenUsed order process:

Select items for your shopping list and click CHECKOUT

Login to your account or create a new one. Input your contact information and shipping address, along with any comments or questions you have.Order Status is now "Order Submitted".

The order is processed by ScreenUsed and you will receive an email reply with shipping options and costs, along with answers to any of your questions.Order Status is now "Shipping Selection".

Login on ScreenUsed, select the shipping option you prefer, and then make a payment. Payments are via Visa/MC/Amex/Discover, PayPal, or Wire Transfer. If the payment is either credit card or PayPal, it will be processed in real-time and you will receive a confirmation right away.Order Status is now "Order in Process".

Once the payment is processed or received, ScreenUsed will send you an email with shipping date and possible tracking information.

If you selected a payment plan, you will see the payment plan and due dates in your online order. ScreenUsed will send you a reminder email for each payment. You can login at any time and submit a payment using the method you choose.Order Status is now "Order Completed".

As these are rare collector pieces, all sales are final. In the unfortunate event that there is a problem with the condition of a piece when it is delivered, we will work with you to make sure you are happy.

Once you have an account and login, you can sign up for automated e-mail and SMS mobile phone notification the instant an item is posted on the website that matches your criteria. You can select from any movie or television show and/or any actor. In addition, you can type in a comment to assist in describing any particular item in more detail that you are looking for. Please see your Subscriptions page.

We may be able to assist you in selling a screen used prop or wardrobe piece, but the provenance, history, source, and documentation of the piece must be outstanding. Please see our Consignment Section

Everything displayed in the ScreenUsed Collection section is owned by the staff running ScreenUsed. These pieces have been acquired over many years as personal items, and are displayed on the website in order to share with other collectors.

In general, the items in the ScreenUsed Collection are not for sale. However, if you do have interest in a piece, please drop us an email. With collections always changing, there may be a time when certain pieces in the ScreenUsed Collection become available.

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